1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for cooling at least one neck ring forming the mouth of a glass container in a glass molding machine. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for cooling a neck ring by directing a supply of cooling fluid, such as air, into contact with an associated neck tool half and possibly into contact with a neck region of the parison held by the neck ring.
2. Description of Related Art
In one known apparatus of this type (DE 36 37 552 C1) each neck tool holder is designed to simultaneously be a distribution device. Cooling air is blown either only through cooling passages in the neck tool halves into a coupling recess of the neck tool (FIGS. 1 and 3 of DE 36 37 552 C1) or additionally through other cooling passages to a neck region of the parison (FIG. 5 of DE 36 37 552 C1). The supply devices for the cooling air are provided as far as up to the pivot shaft of the inversion mechanism of the IS (Individual Section) glass molding machine. This apparatus permits cooling of the neck rings during the whole operating cycle, but it is comparatively expensive.
From DE 30 40 310 C1 it is known to mount the distribution devices (FIG. 2 of DE 30 40 310 C1) on a mold segment holder for the parison mold halves. An inlet to each distribution device is connected permanently to the cooling air box by means of a supply device having coupling passage parts (FIG. 4). The neck tool is then only effectively blasted freely from the outside and cooled through nozzles of the distribution device when the parison mold halves are closed.
From DE 33 36 488 A1 a combined cooling of the parison mold halves and of the neck tool halves is known. The heated cooling air exiting from the cooling passages of the parison mold halves flows into a lower annular groove of the parison mold halves, and from there it passes, only with closed parison mold halves, into slots between vertical external ribs on the neck tool halves and from the slots into the atmosphere. This neck ring cooling is not very effective and in practical terms cannot be controlled.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203, column 6, lines 5 to 7, the neck ring should be coolable secondarily by thermal conduction in the parison mold halves. However, this can work only so long as the parison mold halves are in their closed position and thus in contact with the neck ring (FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203). For the rest, there is only a small temperature difference between the neck ring and the parison mold halves, so that one cannot count on a noticeable secondary cooling of the neck ring by thermal conduction. The parison mold halves are therefore cooled only in their open position (FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203), in other words at times different from the secondary cooling of the neck ring. Each parison mold half has through-going, axially parallel cooling air passages which, in the open position of the parison mold halves, are aligned with a curved slot in a stationary cooling air chamber. Each slot is supplied with cooling air either through a branch passage (FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203) and two inlet openings of the cooling air chamber or through two branch passages (FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203) and a respective associated inlet opening of the cooling air chamber. By means of throttling or shutoff valves in the inlet openings, the supply of cooling air to the slot or slot halves can be varied. All inlet openings receive their cooling air from a common stationary air supply chamber (FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,203).
It is an object of the present invention to improve the cooling of the neck rings.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention can be realized and attained by the apparatus particularly pointed out in the appended claims.